Rite Aid: You're Breaking Our Hearts!
A half dozen community supporters greeted shoppers at Rite Aid's Davis Sq. store in Somerville on Valentine's Day to focus public attention on the company's culture of corporate greed and its assault employees' health care benefits and job rights. The action in Somerville sent management a Valentine's message in support of workers' rights.
Dozens of similar actions were planned at Rite Aid locations across the country, including other stores in New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, California and Washington.
The Valentine's leaflet informed customers about Rite Aid's decision to impose huge health insurance costs on workers and Rite Aid's disturbing pattern of delays in reaching fair agreements with workers.
While Rite Aid CEO John Standley raised his pay and perks from $2.5 to $4.5 million, workers across the country are being overcharged for health insurance. For example
• At the giant Lancaster, CA, distribution center, Rite Aid is attempting to gouge employees by marking-up their cost of health insurance by 28 times over the increases being charged by insurers.
• In Cleveland, dedicated Rite Aid store clerks who have foregone raises for years in order to maintain affordable health care, are facing such severe increases in health insurance costs they may be forced to strike; and
• In New Jersey, Rite Aid also is looking to gouge employees by changing their already expensive health care plan to an even more unaffordable plan and trying to prevent workers from having a voice on the job by joining unions at newly acquired stores.
After gathering signatures from about twenty customers on a letter of concern, the group delivered the letter to the local store manager.
Photos from the Somerville leafleting are posted on Flicker at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/46067326@N00/sets/72157625926780191/
The Valentine's Actions were organized by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 880, UFCW Local 1360, the AFL-CIO, Jobs with Justice and United Students Against Sweatshops.
For more info contact: Rand Wilson, AFL-CIO at 617 803-0799, rand.wilson@gmail.com or visit:www.ilwu.org/?p=1970
